IN AN age when access to basic resources is crucial for many individuals in communities around the world, multidimensional poverty still provides numerous challenges. The numbers speak for themselves – a study done by the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) found six out of 10 children are multidimensionally poor, ticking at least four of the seven categories of deprivation (health, housing, nutrition, protection, education, information, water and sanitation).
When we look at nutrition, Unicef estimates that if immediate action is not taken to combat nutrient deficiencies, we will see a 15% rise in the number of children needing critical nutrition services.
That said, a solution to the problem does exist. Food fortification is the process of adding nutrients to foodstuffs that do not already contain them. For example, in South Africa, maize meal and wheat flour are fortified with vitamin A, thiamine, niacin and the like.
But many individuals are still not aware of or well-informed on fortification as a concept and the benefits. The main benefit of food fortification is that it does not require consumers to change their eating habits, or to buy food products that may be too expensive, to afford, such as fresh fruit.
Being informed starts with knowing the difference between enriched foods and fortified foods.
Enrichment is a form of fortification. Enriched foods allude to nutrients that have been added to replace ones that have disappeared during the manufacturing process – whereas the nutrients in fortified foods are not added to replace those lost, but rather with the purpose of providing extra benefits to ensure nutritional requirements are met.
This can be useful for individuals who may be missing out on a few essential ingredients. Food fortification can help provide nutrients that tend to be deficient in the diet of some people, while of benefit for the wider population.
It is important to be able to identify which of the foods you purchase are fortified – look out for the label symbol for fortified food.
Examining the bigger picture – overall nutritional value – with food labelling regulations becoming more complex, consumers are bound to have more difficulty understanding them. It’s worth the time to study and understand things like serving sizes and recommendations, the different kinds of sugars, and gram and calorie information.
Knowing this information should allow consumers, when faced with the option, to choose staple foods that are fortified and of greater nutritional value. This knowledge will enable you not only to understand your nutritional needs better, but to provide your body with exactly what it needs, ultimately avoiding long-term damage.
In South Africa, only maize and flour are fortified. This not only gives an indication of the gap that exists, but also presents an opportunity to fortify more foods, such as sugar and liquid products like fruit juices and dairy. That said, it is incumbent on governments and the industry to continue combating the effects of malnutrition through the expansion of foods that are fortified and through prevention tactics.
It’s also important for these same institutions to educate the public at a grass-roots level, empowering them with the crucial information that will enable them to better understand nutrition for a better life.
ANDRE REDINGER | Millhouse International
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